Top 10 Global Franchises

1. The world's biggest franchise is neither McDonalds or KFC. 7-Eleven, is the world's largest operator, franchisor, and licensor of convenience stores with more than 50,000 outlets surpassing the previous record-holder, McDonald's Corporation, in 2007 by approximately 1,000 retail stores.

The company has its origins in 1927 in Dallas, Texas, when an employee of Southland Ice Company, John Jefferson Green, started selling milk, eggs and bread from an improvised storefront in one of the company's ice houses. 7-Eleven Japan runs all 7-Eleven franchises worldwide and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

2. Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 39,747 restaurants in 101 countries and territories as of 2 August 2013. It is the largest single-brand restaurant chain and the largest restaurant operator globally. In 1965, Fred DeLuca borrowed $1,000 from friend Peter Buck to start "Pete's Super Submarines" in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and in the following year they formed Doctor's Associates Inc to oversee operations of the restaurants as the franchise expanded.

3. Hampton Inn was the first mid-price national hotel chain to begin offering a free continental breakfast and free local phone calls. Originally, Hampton hotels were given great latitude to customize the room decor and free hot breakfasts to suit local tastes. Most Hampton Hotels (except the new Hampton Boutique Hotels) are considered limited-service hotels, as they do not offer an on-site restaurant nor amenities such as bell services and concierge found at full-service hotels. The Hampton hotel brand primarily caters to the budget-minded business and leisure traveler. As of October 2011, the chain comprises more than 1,800 hotels.

4. Kumon is the world’s largest after-school math and reading academic enrichment program.

Founded in 1954 by Toru Kumon in Japan. In 1954, Toru Kumon began to teach his eldest son, who was having problems in mathematics at school. Kumon developed the Kumon Method. In 1956, Kumon opened the first Kumon Center in Osaka, Japan with the help of parents who were interested in the Method.

The Kumon method is the math and reading educational method which is practiced in the Kumon centers.

Kumon is a worldwide company with locations in more than 47 countries.

5. The world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, McDonalds serves around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. McDonald's operates over 34,000 restaurants worldwide, employing more than 1.7 million people.

McDonald's has become emblematic of globalization, sometimes referred to as the "McDonaldization" of society. The Economist newspaper uses the "Big Mac Index": the comparison of a Big Mac's cost in various world currencies can be used to informally judge these currencies' purchasing power parity.

6. KFC was founded by Harland Sanders, a colorful figure who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. By branding himself as "Colonel Sanders", Harland became a legendary figure of American cultural history, and his image remains prominent in KFC advertising. KFC was one of the first fast food chains to expand internationally, opening outlets in England, Mexico and Jamaica by the mid-1960s. As of 2012, there were over 18,000 KFC outlets in 120 countries and territories around the world.

7. Jiffy Lube is a chain of over 2,000 businesses in North America offering oil changes and other automotive services. The company is based in Houston, Texas, and is a subsidiary of Shell Oil.

8. Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., the world's largest restaurant company.

As of 2012, there were more than 6,000 Pizza Hut restaurants in the United States, and more than 5,139 store locations in 94 other countries and territories around the world.

9. Baskin-Robbins is an American global ice cream parlor based in Canton, Massachusetts.[2] It was founded in 1945 by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California. The company is known for its "31 flavors" slogan

10. Anytime Fitness is a health and fitness club founded in 2002. Their 1000th club opened in February 2009 and currently have over 2200 clubs worldwide.